Paul Lambert Leaves Wolves

[Keef]

It's this mostly British players bit that annoys me,championship experience no doubt,team of runners and hoofers,at least the mendes players look like they've been introduced to a football and can use it,rather than most of our team of err runners and hoofers

 

[Quirkafleeg]

If Mendes has suggested that maybe we shouldn't be buying Steele from Blackburn and that Preston forward then that's a good thing.

The only name mentioned by Lambert i'd actually want is Abraham, but it's not like it's hard to suggest Tammy Abraham as a transfer target.

I agree with the sentiment that Lambert hasn't really done enough to warrant me wanting him to stay - too many questionable team selections

Please point me in the direction of Lambert actually saying that he wants Abraham..

 

[AndyWolves]

When your squad is 75% League 1 standard what else can he really do other than changing them around every few weeks in the hope something clicks (which it did a few times, such as January and the 5 wins on the bounce). Granted, no excuse for the auto picking of Edwards though when his form had dropped below an accpetable standard.

He found a forward who was scoring goals and moved him out-wide, Edwards at number 10 for so long, Saville ahead of Cavaleiro, it's that kind of thing

There were more than a few games where our bench looked stronger than the XI who went out

 

[Johnny75]

When your squad is 75% League 1 standard what else can he really do other than changing them around every few weeks in the hope something clicks (which it did a few times, such as January and the 5 wins on the bounce). Granted, no excuse for the auto picking of Edwards though when his form had dropped below an accpetable standard.

It's the tactics as much as the players though. Smacking the ball from Batth to Dicko is never going to work and this happened way too often (I know you know this so I'm not sure this is coming across correctly).

 

[AndyWolves]

Please point me in the direction of Lambert actually saying that he wants Abraham..

It's what was reported, obviously I can't be 100% that Lambert wants Abraham....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...mbert-could-quit-wolves-plan-forjorge-mendes/

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's the tactics as much as the players though. Smacking the ball from Batth to Dicko is never going to work and this happened way too often (I know you know this so I'm not sure this is coming across correctly).

If you can't play through midfield though....(I know the answer to this is "don't play Edwards" but even the other options aren't very good, not since Ronan got injured).

His biggest tactical failing was spending February trying to replicate the Anfield performance and style in league games. Was never going to work and he kept doing it, with rubbish results.

 

[Kenny]

It's the tactics as much as the players though. Smacking the ball from Batth to Dicko is never going to work and this happened way too often (I know you know this so I'm not sure this is coming across correctly).

When the better players have been on the pitch, we played some decent football, once Ivan and/or Costa went it became braindead football the majority of the time I agree. The brief spell we had with Marshall, Wiemann, Costa and Ivan as the front 4 there was some superb link up play. Again comes down to quality of the squad beyond the few decent players we have and we are found wanting. We even tried to put Saiss so deep he fell over Lonergans gloves (or near enough to collect a goal kick, not sure) as he has the ability to pick a pass but everyone just stood still waiting for the magic to happen rather than moving around.

Asking Batth, Edwards, Coady, Saville etc to turn into footballers with a range of passing and is pushing it for even the greatest of coaches (even if Batth has played some stoking 80 yard passes that reached players rather than row Z this year)

 

[Kenny]

He found a forward who was scoring goals and moved him out-wide, Edwards at number 10 for so long, Saville ahead of Cavaleiro, it's that kind of thing

There were more than a few games where our bench looked stronger than the XI who went out

Losing Ivan and Costa did force his hand a little bit on Weimann. No arguement on Edwards. He rarely dropped Ivan did he?, mainly fatigue and injury led to him being left out? Struggled with him at the start but he soon became a first choice before his injury and was left out near the end of the season as he was struggling with the tempo after coming back in on the back of 1 week of training.

 

[Dinowolf]

The commotion this has caused is unreal. Mendes is only recommending certain players, he's not forcing players on people at gunpoint. The outrage is fantastic.

I think the point is that Lambert is allegedly claiming that the signing of his recommended targets are being affected by Mendes' involvement and this is undermining his philosophy for the future. This would be fundamental for him and could lead to him walking.

This of course is his own decision to make, but people are wondering why it is necessary for it to be discussed on social media, if it's true, and who introduced it to the media.

 

[Norman Deeley]

I think the point is that Lambert is allegedly claiming that the signing of his recommended targets are being affected by Mendes' involvement and this is undermining his philosophy for the future. This would be fundamental for him and could lead to him walking.

This of course is his own decision to make, but people are wondering why it is necessary for it to be discussed on social media, if it's true, and who introduced it to the media.

Exactly that. If Lambert says "I want to sign X" and Fosun say "You can't sign X because Mendes is offering us Y" then Lambert is quite justified in resigning. I may be old-fashioned, but the manager surely has the right to try and sign who he wants & it is the board's job to back him or sack him. Either way, it needs sorting out bloody quickly.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Exactly that. If Lambert says "I want to sign X" and Fosun say "You can't sign X because Mendes is offering us Y" then Lambert is quite justified in resigning. I may be old-fashioned, but the manager surely has the right to try and sign who he wants & it is the board's job to back him or sack him. Either way, it needs sorting out bloody quickly.

The thing is we have (and have had for a while) a Sporting Director so Mendes or not, the job as advertised is not "you will have 100% say on who to sign". It isn't that way at most clubs these days, Wenger has total authority I suppose, Fergie did, maybe Jose does for now, there aren't many others though.

To return to what I said earlier; when Ken went to the board/Thelwell in January 2014 and said "I want to sign Leon Clarke, he is the top scorer in the league" do you think it was right for us to nod along and back him, or should we have said "no, we've had him before, he's fucking horrible, find someone else who doesn't have a face like the Moon in The Mighty Boosh"?

 

[Johnny75]

Exactly that. If Lambert says "I want to sign X" and Fosun say "You can't sign X because Mendes is offering us Y" then Lambert is quite justified in resigning. I may be old-fashioned, but the manager surely has the right to try and sign who he wants & it is the board's job to back him or sack him. Either way, it needs sorting out bloody quickly.

Using that example:

PL: I want Jordan Hugill
JS: You can't because Mendes is bringing us Borja Baston
PL: I'll resign if I don't get my own way
JS: OK, bye bye

Is Lambert going to throw all of his toys out out of the pram if he's offered a better player than the one he wants? I would expect him to not be so arrogant and as others have pointed out, running to the press is a Harry Redknapp trick.

 

[Norman Deeley]

But if you do that, what's the point of a manager if the board has the final say so? And you can't pick just one player. For all you know the board might have said, "Matt Jarvis? He's too small. Fuck off and find someone 6' 2" Mick."

 

[Norman Deeley]

Using that example:

PL: I want Jordan Hugill
JS: You can't because Mendes is bringing us Borja Baston
PL: I'll resign if I don't get my own way
JS: OK, bye bye

Is Lambert going to throw all of his toys out out of the pram if he's offered a better player than the one he wants? I would expect him to not be so arrogant and as others have pointed out, running to the press is a Harry Redknapp trick.

Think in my example you have to assume that PL wasn't offered Baston. If he thinks the board is insisting he takes an inferior player just because said player is a Mendes client then he's justified in making his feelings known

 

[Johnny75]

But if you do that, what's the point of a manager if the board has the final say so? And you can't pick just one player. For all you know the board might have said, "Matt Jarvis? He's too small. $#@! off and find someone 6' 2" Mick."

That's not the same is it? The allegation is that Mendes has a player already lined up for a position Lambert wants a player in. We don't know if either player is better than the other, it is up to them to do that behind closed doors, not through the press.

There are plenty of players bought without the knowledge of the manager. Jermaine Pennant was bought by the best in the business for Solbakken and I'm pretty sure Soton and Spurs operate this way too.

 

[Johnny75]

Think in my example you have to assume that PL wasn't offered Baston. If he thinks the board is insisting he takes an inferior player just because said player is a Mendes client then he's justified in making his feelings known

But you don't know if he's inferior and we have no proof either way. If it is some of the players we've been linked with (not rumoured in that pile of shite article yesterday) then it wouldn't be hard to better Hugill, Hanley and Steele.

Lambert's made a rod for his own back here because if he does get his own way then he's under pressure to bring in Abraham and Lawrence and if he doesn't get them he'll be outed as a liar and somebody who has cheated the fans through the press. No way back from there at all.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

But if you do that, what's the point of a manager if the board has the final say so? And you can't pick just one player. For all you know the board might have said, "Matt Jarvis? He's too small. Fuck off and find someone 6' 2" Mick."

Depends on the model doesn't it (Mick DID have 100% control here pretty much, he largely earned that trust...but we saw how it all collapsed when he started to struggle and even more when he left...so we changed it so that couldn't happen again). Not every DoF/committee/whatever approach is the same, I imagine at the moment Lambo says to Thelwell (or at least I bloody hope he does) "I need a left back" and then Thelwell, probably in conjunction with Mendes now, says "Ok, here are five within our budget, pick whichever one you want".

If there's been a major diversion from that - ie "You are having this player, like it or lump it, he has to play as well because we aren't signing anyone else in that position" - then he's within his rights to feel aggrieved. But you don't have to voice your frustrations in this way. Pochettino could probably get away to an extent with holding a metaphorical gun to Levy's head because he's done an incredible job and there's no hope they'd be able to find a better manager, and he knows he could walk into a top job tomorrow. Paul Lambert is not in that situation. We've just finished 15th.

 

[darlowolf64]

That's not the same is it? The allegation is that Mendes has a player already lined up for a position Lambert wants a player in. We don't know if either player is better than the other, it is up to them to do that behind closed doors, not through the press.

There are plenty of players bought without the knowledge of the manager. Jermaine Pennant was bought by the best in the business for Solbakken and I'm pretty sure Soton and Spurs operate this way too.

Southampton is the obvious one for me. The Head Coach may change but the new one fits in seamlessly (mind you they don't have Kevin Thelwell as their DoF)

 

[Johnny75]

Southampton is the obvious one for me. The Head Coach may change but the new one fits in seamlessly (mind you they don't have Kevin Thelwell as their DoF)

I wonder what's happened to Steely faced Kev, he hasn't said a word so far, no nipping it in the bud or saying things are being worked through. Nowt. I wonder if he's had the boot.

 

[Kenny]

Southampton is the obvious one for me. The Head Coach may change but the new one fits in seamlessly (mind you they don't have Kevin Thelwell as their DoF)

No, they have Les Reed...